What Makes A Monster
by SummersDayDream
Summary: Months into their journey through space, the crew of the USS Enterprise rescue a young girl from an abandoned cargo ship. But this girl is more than what she seems, and she will launch the crew on a search across the galaxy. OC/Chekov, cause who doesn't love an adorable Russian.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story, so please be nice! I will try to update as often as I can.**

 **Also, authors work for reviews! Even a "nice" or "bad" is great!**

Chapter 1:

"Captain."

"What is it, Mr. Sulu?" James T. Kirk, captain of the star ship Enterprise, asked. "Please, don't let it be another bird-of-prey full of Klingons wanting my head."

They were only a few months into a five-year journey through space. So far, they'd been attacked by the afore mentioned Klingons, almost melted a planet, and had a very strange encounter with creatures that encased themselves in metal shells. All of the crew was tired of surprises, and Kirk really hoped this wasn't another one.

Sulu shook his head. "I don't actually know what it is. There's a blip on radar that looks about the size of a cargo ship, but it seems to be… drifting."

Just then, Lieutenant Uhura spoke up from her station at communications. "Captian, I'm receiving a faint signal. It sounds like a distress call."

"Ok. Try to clear it up." Kirk turned and addressed his first officer. "Spock, is there any chance the signal could be coming from Sulu' s blip?"

The Vulcan thought for a moment. "Considering that there appear to be no other ships out here, I would say that the probability is high."

"A yes or no would've worked, Spock. Alright, Sulu, set course for the blip," Jim got up out of the chair. "Oh, and unless you want to come with me, Mr. Spock, you have the conn."

Instead of taking over, Spock followed Jim into the elevator. He had been in enough scenarios with the reckless captain to know when he was needed.

"Captain, where are we going?"

Kirk pushed the button for the medbay. "I thought it'd be obvious. I'm going over to that ship, and it would be _logical_ to take a medic with us, in case any of it's crew require help. Unless you have a different plan?"

"Actually, that is exactly the course of action I would suggest taking"

The doors opened, cutting off what probably would've been a sarcastic remark from Kirk. The pair stepped into the room, and were immediately greeted by the Chief Medical Officer.

"What is it, Jim? Have you had another allergic reaction?"

The captain laughed, and even Spock raised an eyebrow. "Nothing so drastic, Bones. We've encounters a ship that seems to be adrift, and…"

"And you want me to come with you in case of casualties. Let me grab my bag."

A few minutes later, the trio arrived at the transporter room. Before they beamed over, Kirk addressed the small party.

"We don't know what we'll find over there. So, phasers set to stun. Are we ready?"

The engineer at the control panel nodded. "Beaming in 5…4…3…2…"

The three men disappeared from the Enterprise. Moments later, they materialized in the cockpit of the cargo ship. They moved into a hallway and immediately stumbled over the body of one crew member. No one needed the trained eye of Dr. McCoy to tell that the man was dead.

His throat was cut, and at least one limb seemed to be broken. Most disturbingly, there were marks on his face that looked like they had been made with fingernails.

"Jim, what could have done this?" Bones asked.

Kirk just stepped over the body and kept walking. "I don't know, but… Oh, God."

Blocking the hall was a pile of bodies. There were about a half dozen of them. All had a cut across the neck, but others had broken bones, caved in chests, and snapped necks. A few had the claw marks seen on the first man.

"Mr. Spock," Kirk was looking noticeably pale. "How many men would be required to crew this ship?"

When he answered, the Vulcan was quiet. "No more than ten men, Captian. It is highly unlikely we will find anyone alive. I suggest we return to the Enterprise before whatever attacked them attacked us."

"No. If there's even one person still alive, we need to help them."

The group turned around and headed back down the hall. They passed a recreation room, bedrooms, and the kitchen before coming to the cargo hold. There, they found another body and a cage. The door of the cage was opened.

"Jim, whatever thing was in there, I don't think it left anyone alive. Let's go." Bones was looking around nervously, as if the creature could jump out of the walls.

"Let me try one more thing." Kirk pulled out his comm. "Mr. Sulu!"

There was some static, then a voice. "Yes, Captain?"

"Scan the ship for any life forms. Let me know what you find."

"Ok. Scanning… scanning… it looks like there's something down the hall, to the right. First door on the left."

"Thanks, Sulu. Kirk out."

He looked up to two pairs of expectant eyes. Both his CMO and his first officer were staring at him with curiosity.

"There's someone down the hall." Kirk said, answering their unspoken question.

Dr. McCoy was incredulous. "We know that a monster is loose on board, and you want to go _toward_ the only other life form on this boat!"

"Look at it this way, Bones. If it's the creature, we can capture it. But if it's a person…"

"Fine, but you two are going first."

They exited the cargo bay, first Spock, then Kirk, then McCoy. All three had their phasers out. When they reached the door, Kirk signaled for silence. He grabbed the knob, turned it, and threw open the door.

As soon as the door was fully open, Spock lifted his phaser and pointed it into the room. An automatic light clicked on. It appeared to be a storage space, filled with shelves and boxes. One of the freestanding shelving units moved, as if something had bumped it.

"We know you're there!" Kirk called. "Come out with your hands up."

Bones sighed. "That thing may not have had hands."

"I have hands." The new voice came from behind the shelves. "Please don't hurt me."

A form stepped out into the light, hands up as requested. As soon the person did, Kirk lowered his phaser. The person, a young girl, looked to be about 17. She had long brown hair and dark blue eyes. She was skinny, cut, and bruised, but clearly not a threat.

"A child." Spock was confused. "How did you get aboard this cargo ship?"

The girl laughed. "This smugglers ship, you mean."

She put her hands down and took a step forward. Suddenly, she wobbled, and started to fall over. Spock dropped his phaser and caught her. He set her gently on the deck.

"Thanks. I didn't know if anyone would hear that signal I sent out."

Kirk grinned. "Just doing our job. What did you mean by smugglers ship?"

"They're alien traffickers. They capture rare aliens, then sell them to collectors and circuses and… other places."

"Jim, I hate to interrupt," McCoy sounded like he was eager to do so. "But we're on a ship with a dangerous beast. We need to go."

"Do you mean the thing that was in the cage?" The girl chuckled. "It's dead."

Three heads swung around to face her, disbelief clear in their expressions. None of them thought that the scrawny girl in front of them could have killed a creature that'd made such short work of the crew.

"How did you kill it?" Kirk asked.

She laughed again. "I didn't. One of the crew got in a fatal hit. But I threw it out one of the hatches, just to make sure. Can we go now? I'm starving."

"And you look like you need food." Dr. McCoy paused. "I fell horrible for not asking before, but what's your name?"

"Oh. I'm Stella. Nice to meet you. And you are?"

"I'm Dr. Leonard McCoy. That's Jim Kirk, and the pointy-ear is Spock."

"Charmed. Hey, I didn't hear a ship dock. How'd you get over here?"

Spock opened his mouth, about to start explaining exactly how the beaming capabilities on the Enterprise worked. Before he could go into full-on lecture mode, Kirk cut him off.

"We beamed over. And now it's time we got back. Can you stand?"

Stella grimaced, then got to her feet. "I'll be fine…." She started to sway, and Spock reached out to support her. "Ok, maybe not."

A slight smile tugged at Kirk's mouth. He pulled out his communicator.

"Kirk to engineering."

"Keptain!" The voice on the other side of the comm had a thick Russian accent.

The slight smile turned into another grin. "Chekov! Could you alert the medics, please? We're bringing in a wounded person."

"Vill do, keptian. Beaming een five, four, three…"

Stella uttered a cry of fear and clutched Spock as her body began to dissolve. Her cry trailed off a moment later, and the abandoned ship was left to drift the stars in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey, guys! Sorry this is so short! I'm a bit rushed with school and stuff, but I won't make you wait more than a week for new updates.**

 **Anyway, here we introduce our favorite Russian engineer!**

Chapter 2:

Back aboard the Enterprise, the sick girl was rushed to a private room in the Medbay, where Dr. McCoy hooked her up to a nutrient drip. Stella fell asleep as soon as she lay down, so the CMO left her with a nurse and headed up to the bridge.

"How is she, Bones?" Kirk asked.

Dr. McCoy smiled. "Sleeping like a baby. Once she wakes up, you should go visit her." He turned th the First Officer. "You too."

Spock's brow wrinkled. "Captain, perhaps we should move the girl to one of the prison cells."

Kirk opened his mouth to ask why when Dr. McCoy's comm beeped. The Georgian doctor answered it, and a look of shock crossed his face.

"She woke up, but I'm not sure how. I put a mild sedative in her IV, and it could have kept her down for at least another hour."

"Well, shall we go and see her? I think everything up here should be fine. Right, Mr. Sulu?"

That last comment was directed toward the lieutenant, who hurriedly assured the captain that yes, they would be fine.

The three started to move toward the turbolift when a quiet voice stopped them.

"Keptain?" The young ensign was blushing slightly. "May I come with you?"

"Of course, Chekov." Seeing Spock's questioning eyebrow, Kirk said, "It may be good for her to see someone her own age."

Down in the Medbay, the poor nurse Dr. McCoy had left with Stella was trying to keep the teen in her bed.

"You're too weak to get up, child! You must rest!"

Stella pulled the IV out of her arm. "I'm fine! And I'm more an adult than you!"

Before the nurse could reply, Bones stepped in.

"Thank you, Nurse. I'll take it from here."

The poor woman scampered off. Stella watched her leave, grumbling. She then turned to her visitors. She looked much better after getting some sleep, though she was still filthy and thin. Stella nodded hello to the doctor and his companions.

The blonde is Kirk, she remembered. And the strong, silent one is Spock. But…

Out loud, Stella said "Who are you?"

This was directed at the young ensign, who had been standing in the doorway nervously. Now, he walked into the room and stood at the foot of her bed. Chekov opened his mouth, closed it, and looked down at his feet. Kirk wanted to laugh, but held it in. It was painfully clear to everyone in the room that the Russian had a crush.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Dr. McCoy spoke up.

"This is Pavel Chekov, our youngest crew member. He's about your age, I think."

The aggression left Stella' s voice. "How old are you? I'll be 17 in a few months."

"I am 18. Maybe…." Chekov hesitated. "Maybe you vould like a tour of the wessel?"

"Perhaps I should get cleaned up first. Then, I'd love a tour!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know updates are going to be kind of sporadic due to school and club stuff, but I'll try to stay on top of this story. Please don't kill me!**

After Stella took a shower, Chekov took her all over the ship. He showed her the mess hall, the rec room, and the library. When they got down into Engineering, Chekov introduced Stella to the Scottish Chief. Mr. Montgomery Scott, as Stella insisted on calling him, was all too happy to explain the inner workings of his "lady". When he showed no sign of stopping, Chekov hastily made some excuses and herded Stella toward the elevator.

"I am werry sorry about zat." The young ensign said, blushing.

Stella smiled. "It's okay. He knew what he was talking about. Where are we going next?"

"Ummm… ze bridge. There are people I vant you to meet."

Soon, the lift doors opened onto the bustling command center. Chekov gave Kirk, who was sitting in the captain's chair, a small salute before heading back to his station. Stella hung awkwardly in the turbolift for a few seconds before stepping into the room. She wasn't sure what to do, and she certainly didn't want the eyes of everyone on her. Eventually, Chekov beckoned her over to him. He wanted to introduce her to one of his best friends.

"Stella, this is Hic… Hika…." Between his nerves and his accent, he couldn't get the name out.

Fortunately, his friend picked up the thread. "Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu. Glad you're doing all right."

"Stella." The young girl looked at the glowing control panel with interest. "What are you doing?"

Sulu started talking a mile a minute about navigation and warp speed. Before he could get very far, Spock silenced him.

"Mr. Sulu, I do not think it wise to reveal the workings of our ship to a complete stranger."

Jim, having overheard him, walked over. "Why not? Might encourage the girl to join Starfleet once she gets home."

Spock nodded thoughtfully, but unseen by the rest of the crew, he touched Kirk on the arm. The brief contact allowed the Vulcan to speak to his captain's mind.

 _I am concerned that the girl is not telling us the truth. We should not trust her._

The captain jumped, then settled. Well, what do you think we should do?

Spock's thoughts were slow and deliberate. _Someone should be with her at all times._

 _No! Absolutely not._ The very idea repulsed Kirk. _We'll just keep her up here, or down in Medbay most of the time. She can have her own room._

With that, he severed the connection. The young captain was troubled, not because of Spock's suggestion, but because he had had several of the same thoughts. Shaking his head and promising himself he'd figure it out later, he looked over at Stella.

The young girl seemed to sense she was being looked at. Her spine twitched, then she turned and regarded him with warm eyes. After a momentary staring contest, Kirk blinked and looked away, searching for anything to distract the teen. His eyes lit on the pretty communications officer.

"Uhura?" Jim called. "Would you mind taking Stella to one of our guest quarters?"

The slim African-American woman looked up. "Of course not."

She walked over to Stella, then whispered something in her ear. The teen nodded and followed her to the lift. From there, the pair went down to the living quarters. Uhura navigated to the closest empty room, then after making sure Stella had everything she needed, returned to the bridge.

Stella slipped into her room, closing the door behind her. She quickly made her way over to the attached bathroom, also closing that door. Once she was sure no one would interrupt her, the young girl reached up and pulled off her hair.

 **A/N: And… cliffhanger! What do you think is going on? Leave a comment! Even if you have no clue, review anyways. Cookies for reviews! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm baaaaaaack! Sorry about the cliffhanger, then the long absence. I know this is kinda short, but hopefully it'll be ok for now.**

The mass of brown hair fell to the floor and Stella sighed in relief. She then reached up and released her real hair from its bun. It fell in waves, white as the stars she was sailing through. Stella braced herself, then popped out the contacts she'd been wearing, revealing eyes that though still blue, were now pale. Instead of round, her pupils were slitted, like a cat.

She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust. Because the contacts had human-eye-shaped pupils, her range of vision had been greatly restricted. Stella stared at herself in the mirror. When she had been on the smugglers ship, she hadn't had access to mirrors, and she'd been in disguise for weeks. She ran her hands through her hair, stopping when she felt two bumps on her head.

Stella carefully moved he hair aside. From the top of her head, two small ears popped up. They were as white as her hair with pink insides. After letting them twitch around for a few minutes, Stella laid them flat again and went to work bundling her hair back up. The process took considerably longer than she would have liked, since her hair was so silky.

Finally, the young girl slipped her contacts back in and pulled the wig back on. Seconds after, there was a knock on her door. Already suspecting who it was, Stella was nevertheless careful as she opened the door.

"Chekov!" She smiled relaxing. "What's wrong?"

Her question was well warranted, for the poor Russian looked pale and a little green. His normally steady hands were shaking, and he didn't look her in the eye. After a few beats, he spoke, a waver in his voice.

"Vould you like to go and get somezing to eat vith me? Ze Enterprise has a vonderful kitchen. But if you are too tired…"

Stella covered his fidgeting hands with her own. "I'm fine. And I need food more than I need sleep at the moment."

Holding up a finger to tell him to wait for a few seconds, Stella grabbed the jacket she'd been given, then reappeared in the doorway.

"Alright, I'm ready. Lead on!"

 **As always, review, review, review! I live on them (and ice cream).**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here you go! Consider this my Christmas present to you.**

Over the next few weeks, Stella settled into life on the Enterprise. She spent most of her time in the Medbay or up on the bridge. There, she would watch the various crew members do their jobs, occasionally asking questions. Everyone liked her, though Spock still had some private doubts.

Unlike the Vulcan, Dr. McCoy loved the young girl. After Stella started hanging out in the infirmary more often, he taught her a few basic medical tricks. She proved to be an invaluable help, especially after several of Kirk's missions went wrong. When she was in the bridge, Stella spent most of her time with Chekov. He explained, in his adorable accent, what he did and how he did it.

The two youngest people on the Enterprise started growing closer. They spent every available minute together, teaching each other new things. Chekov taught Stella how to navigate by the stars, and she showed him how to make a delicious berry cobbler.

Kirk watched them now in the rec room. Chekov was trying to teach her 3-D chess, but he wasn't getting very far. Most of their matches ended in teasing shoves and pokes. Once, Chekov tried to remove a piece from the board and Stella made a grab for it. A tug-of-war ensued, and Stella ended up falling into the young Russian's lap. She blushed furiously and pulled away quickly. Then before anyone could say anything, she got up and left the room.

Stella bolted back to her room, trying to push down a blush. She collapsed onto her bed once she was inside. Then she sat up, mentally berating herself .

" _Stupid girl! You can't encourage him._ _You_ _know_ _you_ _can_ _never_ …."

Stella sighed and buried her face in one of the pillows. Just then, a knock sounded from her door and a voice was calling out to her.

"Stella? Vat's wrong? Please come out."

Stella sighed, then called, "It isn't locked. Come in."

Chekov edged into the room, looking nervous. When he saw Stella on the bed he walked over and sat. For a few minutes, neither of the two said anything. Then Stella broke the silence, muttering something into her pillow. Chekov wasn't sure, but it had sounded like "I'm sorry."

He rubbed her back gently. "Vat for, Stella? You've done nothing wrong."

"Yes I have." She flipped over, catching his hand and playing with his fingers. "I've led you on terribly. I know how you feel about me, and I like you too, but we can't ever be anything. I'm sorry."

She dropped his hand and looked down. Chekov regarded the young girl for a second, then reached out and took her hands in one of his own. With the other he tilted her chin up until he was looking at her tear-filled eyes.

"Vy can't we? I like you werry much and eef you like me…"

He trailed off, moving closer to Stella until she could feel his warm breath on her face. She only had a moment to contemplate their closeness before Chekov bridged the gap between them and covered her lips with his own.

Stella squeaked in surprise, then closed her eyes. Her lips moved against his perfectly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him closer. Chekov chuckled into the kiss and pushed her back against the pillows, never breaking contact.

His hands started wandering, but Stella didn't notice until they slid up her shirt gently. She pulled back, the guarded expression back in her eyes.

"No." She said firmly, stopping his hands.

Chekov blinked a few times, then seemed to realise what he was doing and pulled his hands back with a yelp. He sat up and buried his face in his hands, muttering what sounded like cuss words in Russian

"Черт возьми это. Я так глупо." He switched back to English. "I'm werry sorry."

Stella looped her arms around his neck. "It's OK. Do you really think this could work?"

"Da. And don't vorry, I vill respect your boundaries. So that I know, vat are you okay vith?"

"Vell…." Stella mimicked his accent. "Some cuddling might be nice."

 **Translation: Damn it. I'm so stupid.**

 **A/N: So, whaddya think? I've never written anything like this before, and I'm a little unsure. Let me know in the comments, ok? Let's try to get to ten comments. They really inspire me to keep writing. Also, originally, this was gonna be OC x OC, but that wasn't working, so I switched to Chekov x OC. After all, who doesn't love an adorable Russian?**

 **Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow, two chapters in one week! I'm on a roll! Enjoy.**

Stella woke up warm and comfortable. When she shifted slightly, a pair of arms tightened around her middle and a nose poked he top of her head. Stella giggled, prying Chekov's arms off her. She sat up before shaking the young Russian. He turned, burying his face in the pillow.

"Нет. еще пять минут." He muttered, but looked up anyways. "Good Morning."

Stella just smiled, stretching and yawning. Chekov watched, noticing how her back arched. In that moment she seemed less human and more feline.

"You look like a cat when you stretch." He traced a hand down her spine.

Stella rolled out of the bed gracefully. "And you look like a little fledgling with your hair like that. You should probably go back to your room and change before reporting to the bridge."

"I'm een Engineering vith Scotty today. Vill you wisit me?"

"Maybe." Stella laughed. "Now go. I'll be in Medbay if you need me."

A few hours later found Stella was patching up a disgruntled Spock. Apparently, a few crew members didn't like the way Kirk was running things and had planned a mutiny. No one died, and the dissenters were locked in the brig under heavy guard.

Kirk had gotten away without a scratch thanks to his first officer. Spock had stepped in between his captain and a thrown knife, resulting in a lot of green blood and a three inch long gash on his forearm. Dr. McCoy trusted Stella enough to leave her alone with the Vulcan while he saw to the others.

Well, almost alone.

Kirk was hovering around the young girl, blocking her light and just generally getting in her way. Despite her repeated orders to go away, he stayed, apologizing to Spock for getting him hurt.

"You shouldn't have don't that! I could have dodged it. I could have…."

"Captain." Spock cut the frantic man off. "If I had not stepped in, that knife would have punctured a lung. You would have died."

"I know you're probably right, but I'm still so sorry."

Stella sighed. "If you are really sorry, Jim, then go away and let me fix him."

With a huff, Kirk moved to an unoccupied bed a few rows away. He sat, waiting for Stella to give the OK for him to come back. Meanwhile, the young girl was running a small device over the cut. It sealed the skin below it and left a thin white line. Stella stared a the small device in wonder before packing it away.

"You're good to go." Stella gave the Vulcan a dazzling smile.

Spock got up, stopped, then turned. "I owe you an apology."

"For what? Did I do something?"

"No." He paused, a teensy smile on his face. "When you arrived, I did not fully trust you. Now I do, so I apologize for my mistrust."

Stella placed a hand on his arm, but before she could say anything Scotty burst into the Medbay. He was red in the face, apparently having run most of the way from Engeneering. The poor Scotsman was almost hyperventilating.

"Captain! You have to come, now!"

Kirk walked over, Bones at his side. "What's wrong?"

"It's Chekov! Some pipes needed fixing, and he climbed up, but now he's stuck!"

"How high up is he? Is he in a secure place, or is it unstable?" Stella asked, her mind already working.

Scotty calmed down slightly. "At least thirty feet up. The pipes get pretty thin up there, but he's on a large one."

"Take me to him."

The five people rushed down to Engineering. The trip normally took about ten minutes; they managed it in a little under five. When they reached the lower decks, it wasn't hard to spot the young Russian. A group of red-shirts had formed a human net in case Chekov had fallen before Scotty got back. Now, seeing their chief, they rushed toward him.

"Get out of our way!" Kirk's authoritative voice cut through the babble.

Everyone froze, then the mass of bodies parted. The little rescue party moved until they were standing under where Chekov sat. He was on a large pipe, but the only way to reach it was by climbing up a lot of smaller, less stable ones.

Spock peered up through the tangle. "Mr. Scott. You are fortunate Chekov is as light as he is. If anyone else had attempted this climb, the smaller pipes would have broken. It does make a rescue attempt difficult, though."

"No it doesn't." Stella had already planned how she'd get up and down.

 _Piece of cake_ , she thought, the called, "Hold on Chekov! I'm coming to get you."

Before anyone could stop her, Stella crouched, gathered, her strength, then jumped.

 **Translation: No. Five more minutes.**

 **A/N: Please leave a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**To Silvermoonshadow27: Here's your cookie. (::). Also, no your reviews don't count, 'cause I KNOW YOU!**

* * *

 **A/N: Soooooooo… I suck at suspense, so hopefully the long wait made up for it. No? Please don't throw things at me! _(Dodges tomatoes)_**

Everyone watched as Stella jumped eight feet straight into the air and landed gracefully on a thin pipe. She continued upwards, sometimes climbing, sometimes jumping between pipes. Stella moved like an acrobat, completely at ease so far off the ground.

It only took her a few minutes before she was crouched on the same pipe as Chekov. The poor young ensign kept looking between her and the ground. Stella clapped once to get his attention.

"Keep your eyes on me, ok?" Her voice was gentle.

He just nodded, too scared to speak.

"Here's what we're gonna do." Stella slid off the large pipe so she was standing on a smaller one. "Swing your leg over so you're facing me. Then stand where I am."

Step by step, she guided him down. The crowd below listened to her soft directions and repeated commands of 'eyes on me.' After ten heartpounding minutes, the two were only about fifteen feet off the ground. Chekov was moving with confidence now that the pipes were bigger.

"I sink I can do zis! I know my vay down from here."

Stella laughed. "Go on then."

She watched carefully as Chekov picked his way down, ready to give help if necessary. It wasn't. The rest of the crew cheered when he reached the ground safely. Stella started scanning the tangle of pipes for an opening. When she found one, she stepped off into thin air.

Stella fell for a few feet before her hands wrapped around a pipe. Her momentum sent her around it once, twice, three times before she let go. From there, Stella performed a flip and landed on her feet, perfectly.

The cheering crew converged on the young girl. Kirk clapped her on the back and Dr. McCoy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Then Chekov broke through the crowd, picking her up and spinning her around. Stella laughed when he set her down. He chuckled with her, then abruptly stopped.

"Chekov? What is it?" Stella asked, confused.

In response, he held up a strand of her hair. Only, instead of dull brown, it shimmered white, like the stars. Stella gasped and reached up to her hairline. Sure enough, her wig had slipped back a little, revealing the glimmering hair underneath.

 _Oh, well_. Stella sighed internally. _They'd find out eventually._

Without further ado, she pulled the wig the rest of the way off. Her hair tumbled down her back. Ignoring the gasps from the rest of the crew, she also popped out the colored contacts she'd been wearing. Finally, Stella let her ears poke through her hair.

Spock was the first to react. "Security!"

As two muscled red-shirts approached, Stella shot a glare at the Vulcan. Then she vaulted backwards onto the pipes. Perched up there, she laughed down at the security goons. They were so heavy that they couldn't follow her.

"Come down!" Spock's voice was cold as death. "You are under arrest for murder."

Stella performed a graceful face-palm. "They were kidnappers. If I hadn't escaped, they'd have sold me!"

"Starfleet regulations state…."

"Hang Starfleet regs!" Bones was furious. "Dammit, Spock, she's just a scared girl."

The doctor turned to Stella, who was doing her best impression of a poor lost kitten.

"Why don't you come down and explain. I promise you won't get hurt."

Stella regarded the people below before she carefully dropped to the ground. She landed in a crouch, straightened, and made her way over to Chekov's side. He pulled her close, placing her slightly behind him.

McCoy moved over to her, and she cringed back. He held his hands up to show that he had nothing in them, then held one out to the girl. Stella took it and allowed herself to be led to a bench. Chekov sat next to her, rubbing her back.

Stella looked up at the faces of her friends. "Where do I start?"

"Tell us your name. Would I be correct in assuming Stella is fake?" Spock's voice had lost some of it's frigidity.

"Ok. Well, properly, my name is…." Here, Stella broke into a series of growls and purrs. "But that roughly translates to Starfrost."

Chekov had an arm around her shoulders. "Vhat planet are you from?"

"I don't know if it even has a name. It's green, and orbits a really large red planet. The native people created my ancestors while they were running some experiments. They left us on one of their moons and forgot about us."

Scotty, who had been quietly observing, spoke up. "How'd ye get kidnapped, lass?"

"I was…." Stella's voice caught, and she coughed. "I was out hunting. They approached me under the guise of merchants, then captured me."

Spock had pulled up a picture of a planetary system on his PADD."Is this it?"

Stella studied it carefully, then her face lit up. "Yes, that's my home."

"Excellent!" Kirk was grinning. "Let's get back up to the bridge and have Sulu set a course."

The various crew members began to return to their positions, some to the bridge, and some to their stations in Engineering. Kirk headed towards the lift, Spock, McCoy and Chekov following, when they were stopped by a shout.

"NO!"

Everyone turned and looked at the young girl. Stella looked like she was about to start crying, her head buried in her hands. Chekov quickly returned to her side and pulled her into a hug.

"Vats wrong, Stella?"

She looked up at the Russian, then her gaze traveled to the people she had befriended over the weeks. Finally, Stella spoke, her voice shakey.

"I wasn't the only one they took."

 **A/N: And more suspense! I really am horrible.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi! I'm not dead. I know it's been about a month, but in my defense, I've been really busy! (Sees reader hefting tomatoes) Ahhhhh! I'm sorry! Don't throw them! Spain will get mad! (Runs)**

"I wasn't the only one they took."

Stella dissolved into tears. Chekov pulled her into a tight hug. Dr. McCoy patted her shoulder awkwardly, and Kirk crouched in front of her. He knew how it felt to loose something, or someone, important.

"Who else, Stella?" The captain's voice was, calm, quiet. "Who else did they take?"

"When I was hunting, I wasn't alone. My friend and I were out training a group of kits."

"You mean those smuggler bastards took children!" McCoy was aghast.

Stella nodded. "Yes, children and my friend, Darkoak."

"Well, we can't just leave them there!"

"No indeed, Doctor." Spock seemed to have softened back to his usual level of stone-heartedness. "The only question now is where did they take them. Unfortunately, that will be rather difficult to determine."

"Well, what would you need?" Stella had a strange look in her eye.

Spock regarded the girl curiously. "I would require a piece of technology that emitted a frequency the smugglers have access to."

"Sooooooo…." The young girl drew the word out. "Like a tracking device?"

"Yes, however, I do not know…."

Stella reached into her pocket and pulled out a circular dime-sized piece of plastic. One side was colored black, the other red. At the moment, the sides were mismatched, so one half was red and one half black.

Chekov took the disc, then passed it to Spock. "Vhere did you get this?"

"When they captured me, the smugglers put it in my arm. I cut it out as soon as I got free." Seeing Spock puzzling over it, she said, "It's off right now. You line up the colors to turn it on."

The Vulcan nodded his thanks. "I will take this up to Mr. Sulu."

He left for the bridge. Everyone else looked to the Captian, who was standing next to McCoy. He sensed the gaze of the crew and gave a smile that was part excitement at the prospect of a mission, part terrifing fury at the smugglers who dared kidnap innocent children.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Get to your stations and prepare a boarding party. We've got children to save."

 **A/N: (Sticks head back in.) Cliffhanger! Yeah, I know, you all hate me right now. Ah well, until next time! (Runs again)**


	9. Chapter 9

The ship burst into a flurry of activity. Security officers prepared for the raid on the smuggler's base and Medbay was getting ready to treat the thirteen children that the rescue team would bring back. And in the middle of it all was Stella.

"Chekov, I'm coming." She stared down the young Russian, who for once was looking intimidating.

"Нет." His voice softened, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I do not vant you to get hurt."

"I won't get hurt. Besides, you'll be dealing with over a dozen scared kits. They know me. If I'm not with you, they'll be impossible to control."

Spock happened to be passing by when Stella said this, and he stopped. "Ms. Starfrost makes a valid point. She will be accompanying us onto the ship."

"Spock, it's just Stella, please." She shoots a smug smile at Chekov. "And I couldn't have said it better myself."

"Fine. Here, take this." He handed her a phaser.

Stella examined it curiously. "What's this?"

"It's a phaser." Chekov showed her how to hold it. "Right now, it's locked on stun."

The young girl held it out to him. "No thanks. I won't be needing this."

"But you could be wery badly hurt! You could…."

"Pavel Chekov." Stella stepped closer to him and put her hands on either side of his face. "I. Will. Be. Fine. Trust me."

"Ok, but still…." His protest was cut off by Kirk's voice over the intercomm.

 _Would all personnel going to the smuggler's base please report to the transport bay._

Stella smiled at Chekov. "Guess that's our cue. Let's go."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. They joined the throng of people, moving to follow the captain's orders. A few minutes later, they arrived and reported to the First Officer.

"Chekov, Stella, you will be accompanying the captain and Dr. McCoy to rescue the children."

"Yes, sir." Stella gave Spock a playful salute, her ear twitching.

Chekov rolled his eyes and pulled her over to where Kirk and Bones were conferring. Stella greeted the pair with a nod, then leaned against the wall, watching the hustle and bustle of the other away teams getting ready. A question occurred to her, so she turned to the doctor to ask it.

"Why are there so many teams going over?" One of her ears folded down as she tilted her head to the side.

Bones suppressed an 'awww' and composed a straight face. "Their job is gonna be arresting the smugglers. We're just there to get the kids and get out."

At that moment, Spock joined the four. He whispered something to Kirk, who patted his First Officer on the shoulder, then moved to the steps leading up to the transporter. Once there, he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, everybody. You all know what you need to do. Best of luck to all the teams." He surveyed the assembled crew. "Let's do this thing."

Jim rejoined his little group. The first teams that left the Enterprise were composed of security personnel who's task was to subdue and clear the path for the others. Stella and her group were the last ones to beam over. The poor girl disliked beaming almost as much as Dr. McCoy, so she clung to Chekov until they were safe on the smuggler ship.

Once there, the five people moved quietly. Even though the first teams should've cleared the ship by now, it had never hurt anyone to be cautious. Everyone was tensed for a fight and had their phasers at the ready.

Stella, however, carried no weapon and had her mouth open, inhaling in an odd way. Chekov gave her a strange look, and she responded with a complicated series of ear flicks. After a few seconds without reply, Stella seemed to remember herself and spoke quietly.

"Sorry. I said that I was checking to see if there were any threats around."

Chekov replied, just as quietly. "And are there any?"

"I don't think so." Stella inhaled again. "There is something, but it could just be this place."

"Keep it quiet back there!" Kirk cut into their conversation.

Both teens made little gestures of apology. They continued to sneak along the corridor. Suddenly, a cacophony of banging and wailing was heard from around the corner. Immediately, everybody brought their weapons up to a ready position. Even Stella dropped back into a defensive crouch.

The clanging in the corridor got closer. The little group crept up to the intersection. Stella opened her mouth again, a confused look on her face. In the lead, Kirk held up three fingers. Stella gave one more sharp inhale as the captain folded down one finger, then another.

Just as Jim was about to order them forward, she snapped her mouth shut, then called out. "Wait! It's not…."

She was too late. The four men sprung around the corner, phasers pointed at the threat in the hall. Stella rounded the corner too. She froze, though, when a single word rang out.

"Princess?!"

 **A/N: Oh, snap. Sorry it's been so long. There's a lot of crap going on with my family right now, so updates are either going to be really sparse or really frequent. It all depends; when I'm stressed, I either use writing as an escape, or I have no inspiration at all. Anyways, review if you liked it, review if you hated it, review if your aunt's name is Sally. Just review! Ok, bye.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm back! Sorry for the cliffhanger. Ok, I'm not.**

"Princess?!"

Stella reeled back like she'd been struck, then just as quickly reversed direction, plowing into the arms of the boy standing there. His green eyes widened in surprise.

"Darkoak! I'm so glad you're safe!" Suddenly, she pulled back and grabbed his upper ear, pulling painfully. "What have I told you! You don't call me that."

"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry!"

Stella let go and embraced him again, then crouched and counted the kits. In all there were thirteen of them, with coloring ranging from extremly pale to dark hair and skin. One child launched herself at Stella, wrapping her arms around the teen's neck.

"Starfrost! I knew you'd find us!"

The girl patted the kit's silver hair affectionately. "Glad you didn't give up on me, Shadowkit."

Stella stood with the child still in her arms. The rest of the little ones quickly swarmed her, clinging to her legs, before converging on the crew of the Enterprise. Laughing, Stella watched as each kit picked a person and latched on.

A kit with shaggy blonde hair and clear blue eyes, as well as a kit with brown hair and green eyes each took one of Dr. McCoy's hands. One child, who had pale blonde hair and almost purple eyes approached Chekov. He spoke to it in calming Russian, and after a moment a kit with longer brown hair and amber eyes joined him.

Kirk was beset by a kit with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, quickly followed by one with black hair and serious brown eyes. A pair of identical kits with matching curls clung to Spock, who stared at the little things in puzzlement. Darkoak had scooped up two: the extremely pale kit and a kit with straw-colored hair and green eyes.

Shifting Shadowkit to one arm, Stella picked up one of the two remaining kits. This one looked soft, with light brown hair and light purple eyes. One kit, a strict-looking little thing, refused to be carried, instead walking alongside Spock.

The group quickly retraced their steps, returning to the prearranged exit place. When they got there though, they encountered a problem; a dozen smugglers had escaped and were holed up at their extraction place.

When the smugglers saw them, they immediately pulled out weapons. One, who seemed to have some level of authority, yelled at the crew of the Enterprise.

"Put down the cargo and surrender, or we'll shoot!"

Everyone looked to Kirk, then to Stella, who muttered. "Do it."

Those carrying kits lowered them to the ground. Stella set down Shadow and the quiet kit, then kneeled down herself. She stared at the little group, ears swiveling like crazy. At a collective twitch from the kits, Stella turned and rose into a crouch. The kits formed two lines behind her, and at a signal from Stella, launched themselves at the smugglers.

The battle, if you could call it that, was over before anyone could register the fact that it had started. Within a minute, all twelve bad guys were out cold on the floor. The kits crowded around Stella, who checked them over for wounds.

"Good work, guys!" She patted them in between their ears. "I see Darkoak kept up your training."

She smiled at the dark-haired boy as she said it. He blushed a little and laughed. "It was nothing, Starfrost. Just doing my job."

The crew of the Enterprise was still standing in shock. They stared at the cute little kits, wondering at their abilities. The kits didn't seem fazed at all, and returned to their former caretakers. Kirk was the first to shake off his awe. He pulled out his comm and radioed up to the ship.

"Captian!" The voice of his CEO came through the comm. "Did ya get all the wee ones?"

Kirk laughed. "Yep. Beam us up, Scotty."

Light enveloped the group, kits clinging to their guardians. A second later, they materialized in the Enterprise, where nurses were waiting to take care of the little ones. However, some of the kits flat out refused to be separated from their chosen crew members.

So the Medbay was filled with squirming children and uncomfortable Starfleet officers. After McCoy gave each kit a once-over, they received a nutrient drip and a mild sedative. Once all 13 were out,the command crew returned to the bridge.

Darkoak, who after grabbing a protein bar declared himself fine. He accompanied Stella up to the bridge, keeping one hand around her waist.

Chekov glared at him the whole time.

 **A/N: Ahhhh, tension! There are about 12 references in this chapter and one shout out. See if you can get them, and review what you think.**


	11. Chapter 11

Back on the bridge, the command crew returned to their stations. Stella and Darkoak stood by Dr. McCoy, talking in a series of hand gestures and ear movements. It took them a moment to realise that everybody was staring at them.

"Oh, hi." Stella blushed a bit. "We're just playing catch-up."

Everyone shrugged and went back to what they were doing. Chekov, however, left his post and moved to Stella's side. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. Chekov then extended a hand to Darkoak.

"I am Ensign Pavel Chekov." His voice held just a tiny trace of animosity.

Darkoak seemed oblivious to it. "Darkoak. It's a pleasure to meet you; Star told me all about you."

"Oh? She said nothing about you."

"Boys, boys!" Stella struggled out from between them. "Would you stop it, Chekov? Darkoak is my friend, and nothing more."

"In all technicality, Starfrost, we are significantly more than friends."

The young girl glared at the dark-haired male. "That is a technicality. If I abdicate, it is dissolved."

"Hey!" Chekov shouted. "Could someone please tell me what your talking about?!"

Attracted by the shout, Kirk moved over to the young people. "I think you owe us all an explanation, Stella. Starting with why your friend called you 'Princess'."

"Oh, _that_." Stella practically spat the word out. "Darkoak insists on calling me that because I am the eldest daughter of the rulers of our people."

"You don't sound very happy about zat." Chekov noted.

Stella shuddered dramatically. "I don't mind being the heir, I just can't stand the formalities."

"What gets dissolved eef you abdicate?"

"That would be our betrothal." Everybody stared at Darkoak, who shrugged. "Our laws state that there must be a ruling pair, so every child of the rulers is betrothed at birth."

Chekov looked like he might strangle Darkoak. Before he could, Stella stepped back in between the two, placing her hands around the young Russian's neck and whispering in his ear.

"Chekov, it's only a failsafe. If I abdicate or…." She broke off, blushing a little. "Or if I fall in love with someone else, then it's void."

Darkoak pulled Stella back into his chest, glaring daggers at Chekov. Before anyone could say anything else, Stella pulled away from the bristling boys and gave them both a sad, watery-eyed look.

"I was hoping that the two of you would get along, not fight." Stella's ears drooped.

Both Darkoak and Chekov immediately deflated. An awkward silence reigned for a few minutes until it was finally broken by Dr. McCoy. He raised his hand as if in a classroom. When he had everybody's attention, he pointed at Stella.

"You said you could give up the throne." When she nodded, the doctor continued. "If you don't take it, then who? Do you have a sibling?"

Stella was already shaking her head. "No. The next in line is my cousin, Shadowkit."

"Ah." The slight noise came from the First Officer. "That would explain her unique hair."

"Yeah, that comes from my dad's side of the family." The young girl ran a hand through her own star-coloured hair as she spoke.

Suddenly, Stella snapped to attention as a thought struck her. She quickly ran some mental calculations.

 _If it took us about fifteen minutes to get all the kits down, and we've been talking for about twenty minutes, then…_

She turned to race over to the lift, but two hands on her wrist stopped her. Two voices spoke in unison, filled with equal amounts of concern for the girl.

"Stella, what's wrong?"

The young girl whipped back to face the two boys. She had a slightly wild look in her eyes, which landed on Bones.

"Do you remember how the sedative you gave me only kept me out for about an hour?"

He nodded, and she continued. "The kits have an even higher tolerance to sedatives than me. I need to get down there before they wake up."

A quiet sneeze-like noise erupted from the back of the group. Kirk had unsuccessfully tried to suppress a laugh, instead turning it into a sound vaguely reminiscent of a cat choking on a hairball. Everybody looked at him.

"Sorry." He stifled another giggle. "I just don't see why you're so worried. They're just a bunch of kids."

Darkoak regarded the man calmly. "Have you ever dealt with a group of children on a sugar high, Captain?"

Kirk shook his head 'no', and Darkoak continued. "The kits are like that, but worse. They are full of energy in an unfamiliar place. If Starfrost and I do not get down there…."

He looked to Stella, who finished the thought. "Chaos."

 **A/N: My gods, I'm so sorry for leaving this like that. My school is going into final exams, so I have a lot to think about right now. For that reason, I can't promise regular updates, but I can sincerely apologize for the mini hiatuses. As always, let me know what you think in the comments. Until next time!**


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